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News of Note

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey’ runs into animal-rights issues
Wranglers in New Zealand have complained that as many as 27 animals have died as a result of conditions on the set of “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey,” according to the Associated Press. A spokesman for director Peter Jackson has confirmed an unspecified number of deaths related to conditions on a Wellington farm. Horses, goats and sheep were among the casualties, he told the AP.

Monkey Killed At Zoo Boise During Break-In
A break-in at Zoo Boise early Saturday left a Patas monkey dead from blunt force trauma to the head and neck and police were analyzing blood found at the scene to determine if it came from the monkey or one of two human intruders.

Bill and Lou and Shifting the Paradigm: Now Is the Time to Go Vegan
I never would have guessed that the fate of two old oxen on a Vermont college campus would inspire tens of thousands of people around the world to raise their voices. But it did. Bill and Lou, scheduled for slaughter after a lifetime of service to the college, were featured in the New York Times, the Chicago Tribune, the Boston Globe and many other major media outlets, and inspired action and dialogue around the world. But now that Lou has been euthanized due to an injury and the college has decided to keep Bill, an even more urgent dialogue needs to happen. It is a dialogue about sustainability.Los Angeles City Council Declares Mondays “Meatless”
For one day a week, citizens in the city of Los Angeles are encouraged to be ‘veg heads.’ On Friday, the LA city council unanimously passed a resolution that declares every Monday a “Meatless Monday,” becoming the largest city to endorse the movement to curb meat consumption.

Beyond animal rights, the search for a sustainable and ethical vegan diet
It seemed so simple at first; I was an empathetic person, so I became vegetarian. Little did I know that my journey to ethical and socially just eating was only beginning – and it was a much more paradoxical road to get there than I thought. – if we all made one or two changes to our diets regularly, we could begin to refine the system.

To Birds, Storm Survival Is Only Natural
Yet biologists studying the hurricane’s aftermath say there is remarkably little evidence that birds, or any other countable, charismatic fauna for that matter, have suffered the sort of mass casualties seen in environmental disasters like the BP oil spill of 2010, when thousands of oil-slicked seabirds washed ashore, unable to fly, feed or stay warm.

Hunters join animal rights’ groups in lawsuit to ban use of dogs in wolf hunt
Over a dozen Wisconsin hunters have joined animal rights’ groups in a lawsuit that seeks to permanently ban the use of dogs by wolf hunters. Dane County Circuit Judge Peter Anderson has temporarily banned dogs that help hunters track down wolves. And he’ll hold a hearing next month to consider a permanent ban – as well as an opposing effort by the state DNR to drop the lawsuit altogether.Singapore animal rights activists continue protests over pandas
A number of local media reports in Singapore highlighting the “up close and personal” interactions with two Giant Pandas who arrived in the city-state this fall have angered animal rights activists, who continue to call for the animals to be returned to their natural habitat.

Vegan Former NBA Star John Salley Explains How Athletes Get Enough Protein Without Meat
The Los Angeles Times just interviewed John Salley, the former NBA player (who played with the Lakers) about his vegan diet. They asked some obvious questions about his transition from vegetarianism to becoming a vegan athlete, but one of their questions was one that’s common for non-meat-eaters, whether you’re a basketball player or a first-grader: “How do you get enough protein?” Salley’s perfect answer blew us away.

Combined Pesticide Exposure Severely Affects Individual- and Colony-Level Traits in Bees
Bee colonies have increasingly been failing. It is suspected it is as a result of exposure to pesticides used in agriculture. To test this link bee colonies were exposed to two common types of pesticides. The study found that exposure negatively effected the performance of individual bees and increased the likelihood of colony failure. Furthermore, these effects were more likely if bees were exposed to both pesticides.

Cycle Dogs will be having a fundraiser to benefit Enchanted Forest Vegan Animal Sanctuary

Thursday Nite is Taco Nite with Cycle Dogs and on Feb 1 we are offering a free side of #vegan queso and chips with every ticket. We will be donating 15% of our sales to Enchanted Forest Vegan Animal Sanctuary. The Sanctuary has taken on quite a few rescues recently and is in need of assistance with their fundraising goals to make sure their animals are getting necessary medical treatment.

Save the date for HSUS's Humane Lobby Day in Olympia. This will be a day to engage in direct democracy on behalf of animals: learn about current legislative issues and how to advocate effectively to your elected officials.

NARN's board of directors meets monthly to discuss our campaigns and administrative issues. Guests are welcome to attend if we have enough time on our agenda.

If you wish to have an agenda item added to the NARN Board Meeting, please email info@narn.org at least a day in advance. You can also send us a message on Facebook anytime or even the day of the meeting and we'll get back to you. All NARN Board Meetings are held in Seattle.

Join activists from Seattle Farmed Animal Save for a peaceful vigil outside the Enumclaw Sales Pavilion to raise awareness about the plight of farmed animals in our communities.
They will have signs to hold. You're always welcome to bring your own signs with peaceful messages. Please bring friends, family, or come on your own!

They recommend parking across the street from the sales pavilion at the public park. If you have any questions about this event or think that you may be interested in being a volunteer or co-organizer with our group, please email us at seattlefarmedanimalsave@gmail.com

See the FB event page for updates:
https://www.facebook.com/events/578872455790218/

The University of Washington's Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) will be meeting to discuss various research protocols (study designs). This is your chance to voice your opinion about the research on animals that goes on at the UW. Please come and speak for the animals!
The meetings are held at the South Campus Center; Room #350 (in between San Juan Road & Columbia Road); behind the Magnuson Health Sciences Center (1925 N.E. Pacific St) )
http://www.washington.edu/maps/
Unfortunately, they frequently re-schedule or cancel their meetings in an attempt to avoid the public, so please call the Public Affairs Office at 206-543-9180 to make sure the meeting is still happening at the given time.
You can also check out their calendar here
http://depts.washington.edu/oawhome/review-calendar/

This month we will head on over to the delicious and all vegan Wayward Cafe.
http://www.waywardvegancafe.com/

The Social Discussion Group is a casual event. Drinkers and non-drinkers are welcome, and you don't have to be vegetarian to participate. We hope you'll join us! Questions? Contact rachel[at]narn[dot]org

Vegan Haven is Seattle's only non-profit, volunteer-powered 100% Vegan Grocery Store. Join us on Sunday February 18th, 2018 from 10am to 7pm for a Vegan Bake Sale to support Pigs Peace Sanctuary. 100% of bake sale proceeds go directly to the pigs!

When: ONE DAY ONLY Sunday February 18th, 2018 from 10am to 7pm.

See the FFB event page for updates:
https://www.facebook.com/events/164605127599253/

See the first Seattle public screening of "Cascade Crossroads" a 30-minute documentary film chronicling the story unfolding over and under Interstate 90 just east of Snoqualmie Pass in Washington's Cascade Mountains. Here at the intersection of an east-west transportation corridor and a north-south wildlife migration corridor, a monumental project combining conservation, collaboration, and innovation led to the construction of North Americas largest wildlife crossings project in conjunction with major infrastructure improvements for motorists.
Seward Park Audubon Center is a proud sponsor of this film.

Free, but advance tickets required

More information on the Facebook event page
https://www.facebook.com/events/1908422852532945/

Why letter writing? Letter writing is a simple way to make change for the animals! At our letter writing events, we write for many different reasons: opposition to the creation of new animal laboratories, support for sending animals to sanctuary, promotion of vegan events and issues through letters to the media, and raising the spirits of activists and comrades who have been jailed for their pro-animal actions.

NARN provides the stationery, pens, stamps, sample letters, and ideas for what to write -- just bring yourself. You can even bring your laptop if you'd prefer to type or email your letters!